Chapter 5 : New Home

*Morgan*

I wave my hand to cast a defensive spell but end up exploding a twig on the ground, and it turns to dust. I throw my hands in the air in frustration. Damn it! Why did I spend my life learning about how to heal people? It obviously did me no good because the people I had taken care of my whole life turned on me in a second. Now, I can’t even fight the man who did this to me.

Shane raises his eyebrows at my shotty magic. This just pisses me off even more. The only thing I can think to do is physically fight him. Since we’re both on the ground, I launch myself at him with my hand already clenched into a fist.

But before I can make contact with his face, he calmly retrains me. He pulls me on top of him and gathers both of my hands in one of his. Our faces are inches apart. Shane’s full lips are parted, and his eyes stare into mine. We’re both breathing hard, and the lower part of his body is near mine. His hard, toned body is underneath me, and even though I try to ignore it, I can feel every line of his muscles. A small part of my mind is screaming to lean down and kiss him, but I ignore that instinct.

I struggle against him, trying to break free of his stronghold and kick his shifter ass.

“Let go of me!” I demand.

“No, not until you calm down,” Shane whispers into my ear.

I try to ignore the shiver that runs down my spine. I do my best to free myself, but after a few moments, I can tell my efforts are useless. Shane is physically stronger than me, something I was already aware of, but I thought the sheer force of my anger could overpower him.

When I give up, I’m out of breath, still lying on top of him. Shane is still breathing normally because of how physically fit he is.

“If I let you go, will you please stop trying to attack me?” Shane asks, looking into my eyes.

“Fine,” I grumble.

He lets go of my hand, and I roll off of his hard body. I scramble away from him until I’m leaning against a tree at least six feet away. If I can’t hurt him, I refuse to be within touching distance of him.

“Morgan,” Shane starts, and puts his hands in front of him in a calming way. “I’m very sorry. That whole thing back there was blown way out of proportion. It was never my intention to expose you to your community. I only changed into my wolf form to protect myself and you. I never wanted anything to happen,” Shane tells me with sincerity, his palm on his heart.

“Oh, don’t even! This was all a part of your plan. You wanted me to be exposed for what I am. You wanted me to become homeless so that I would have no choice but to come with you. You trapped me in this situation,” I accused him.

Then, the enormity of my current situation falls on my shoulders like a boulder. I no longer have a home I can call my own. My cottage is destroyed, and my village has figured out my biggest secret. I fold my knees to my chest and sob in the fetal position.

Shane allows me to cry it out until I have no tears left in my eyes. He owes me that much. After I’m done crying, the sun is already setting before us.

“Listen, Morgan. I truly apologize. Saying I’m sorry isn’t something I’m used to, and I am honestly saying I apologize.”

I almost forgive him instantly because of the sheer force of his gorgeous eyes. But I won’t let him sway me because of his good looks. I refuse to allow the confusing connection I have with this shifter to let me accept his apology. I cross my arms and turn my back on him, childishly pretending like he doesn’t exist.

“Seriously? I’m trying to beg for your forgiveness, and you just ignore me? You’re acting very immature, Morgan. Why did I have to get such a difficult mate?” Shane says to himself. I turn and face him again.

“You think I’m difficult? After everything YOU put me through?!”

“Which I apologized for,” Shane quickly points out.

“Oh, you’re right. Bring me to your castle now to live the rest of our lives in happiness,” I say sarcastically.

“I don’t like your attitude,” Shane replies, narrowing his eyes.

“Well, I don’t appreciate you exposing my biggest secret.”

He sighs and rubs his temples. “We’re getting nowhere with this kind of talk. Let’s go back to my home.” Shane reaches a hand out to me.

“What? Are you joking? I’m not going anywhere with you.”

“Where else will you go?” he asks me bitterly.

Crap! He has a point. My home is destroyed, along with all of my inventory. I am now ostracized in my village, and word will spread to neighboring towns, so I can’t start over somewhere else. I stay silent though, contemplating whether or not I should sleep in the woods. Besides, the most dangerous creature here is sitting in front of me. Shane takes my silence as defeat.

“Let’s wait for nightfall, and we can collect items from your house that weren’t ruined,” Shane suggests. I shrug noncommittally.

We wait until the sun fully sets, and he spirits us just outside my cottage. I wait behind the bushes while he checks that the coast is clear. When he gives me a nod, I walk out and study the charred ruins that were my beautiful cottage a few hours before. The smell is horrible. The scent and the leftover smoke make me put a hand over my mouth and nose. I poke through everything, but it’s obvious there’s nothing left of my belongings.

Then, I spot something in the rubble that gives me an ounce of hope. My book of brews. I race over and retrieve from under a pile of ashes, not even caring when my hands become slightly burned. Somehow my book, the most important possession I own, survived the fire. It looks the same as always, not even a scratch or a burn mark on it. I flip through the pages making sure everything looks good. One of my ancestors, or even my mother, must have cast a protective charm on the book because this should have gone up in flames.

“At least one thing survived,” Shane says from behind me. Damn, I wish his voice wasn’t so sexy. I ignore him and continue to page through my book, reading the recipes by the light of the moon. “Well, we should get going. My pack expected me back yesterday.”

“I never said I was going anywhere with you,” I say in a clipped tone.

“Morgan! Why are you being so difficult? How will we ever be adequate mates if we can’t communicate?”

“Here you go with the whole ‘mates’ thing—”

I never get to finish my sentence because Shane grabs my arm and teleports us to an unknown location. As soon as we land, I tear my arm away from his grasp.

“Um, a little warning next time would be nice!” Then I stop and glance around me. “Where are we?” I ask him.

We are in a forest again, but I know immediately it isn’t my woods. The scents and sounds are different, and I feel exposed. I’m not even sure how far we’ve traveled. Shane begins to walk forward, and I follow him. I don’t want to, but I can’t be left in an unfamiliar forest alone.

“Where are we?” I repeat my question, struggling to keep up with his fast pace.

“I told you we’re going to my home. You’re going to meet my pack,” Shane says with his eyes forward.

His sentence makes my heart rate spike. I am about to meet a pack of shifters? Besides my mother and Shane, this will be the first interaction I have with other supernatural creatures. Also, I am going to live with his pack? And him?

My life is changing so drastically, and I can’t keep up. After around fifteen minutes of walking, my feet begin to hurt. Usually, I wouldn’t complain about something like this, but I am not going to bite my tongue around the person who has ruined my life.

“How much longer? Why couldn’t you just spirit us into your house?” I grumbled.

“That would have been a rude thing for me to do,” Shane points out.

“Oh, God forbid YOU be rude.”

He ignores my jab. After a few more minutes of walking – more like jogging for me because of his fast pace – we make it to his destination. I stare up at the big house in amazement. I had imagined sharing a dreary cave with a bunch of rabid wolves. Maybe I will even get my own room. I follow him through the giant doorway and into a sitting room. Despite the late hour, two people are sitting on comfy red armchairs.

The girl looks to be around Shane’s age, slightly older than me. She is beautiful with light brown skin and long black hair. Her cheekbones are high and sculpted. But, when she looks at me, her eyes narrow. The boy is younger, probably in his late teens. He has red hair and gives me a goofy grin. Automatically, I like him more than the cold older girl.

“Serena, Cain,” Shane says and nods at the two of them. “This is my mate, Morgan.” He gestures to me, presenting me to his pack. Serena gives me a cold nod, her eyes hard.

“Welcome to the doghouse,” Cain says with a grin and sticks his tongue out. I let out a small giggle despite myself. Shane eyes our interaction with a frown.

“Shouldn't you be in bed, Cain?” Shane asks him, and crosses his arms.

“You’re not in charge of me.” Cain slides his eyes over to me. “Not yet.”

I don’t understand their exchange, and I open my mouth to ask Shane about it.

“Do you know if Tanya is still awake?” Shane asks his pack, interrupting my question before it even comes out of my mouth.

Before they can answer him, a tiny girl appears at his side, as if his saying her name made her materialize. The girl also looks to be around Cain’s age and has tan skin. Her brown hair is neatly braided, and she smiles at me. Her presence calms me for some reason. Without even saying a word, Tanya has become my favorite person I’ve met, and I’m including Shane in this.

“Ah, Tanya, there you are. Please meet my mate, Morgan.”

Shane gestures to me again. She hugs me quickly, and her embrace is welcoming. I don’t like how Shane keeps introducing me as his mate. I haven’t agreed to anything, and I’m only here because I had nowhere else to go.

“Pleasure to meet you, Morgan,” Tanya says in a sweet voice.

“You too, Tanya,” I respond honestly.

“Please show Morgan to her room, Tanya,” Shane orders. Since I’m exhausted, I follow Tanya upstairs without argument.

“Welcome to your new home, Ms. Morgan,” she begins once we’re far enough away.

“Uh, thank you.”

“I’ll be your maid and guard. I’m here to assist you with anything you may need,” Tanya explains while she opens up a door.

How many rooms do they have in this house? My new room is nickley furnished with a big bed, wooden dresser, and armchair. Tanya lights the oil lamp that’s on my bedside table.

“Oh, I won’t need a maid or anything like that,” I note.

“I want to help you, Ms. Morgan. That’s what I’m here for. Excuse me for a moment.”

Tanya leaves my room. I take off my shoes and sit on the bed. Tanya comes back a moment later with a tall glass of water and a plate with bread, grapes, and cheese on it. After the journey I had, I accept the food and devour it. Tanya sets down a cold pitcher of water and takes my empty plate.

“Goodnight, Ms. Morgan,” she says, nodding herself out of the room.

I glance around after she shuts the door behind her. I am alone, in a shifter house, far away from the only home I have ever known. How did my life change so quickly and vastly?

I sigh and store my only possession, my family’s book, under my bed. After I use the bathroom across the hall, I climb into bed. It isn’t long until I fall asleep. I can worry about my new predicament tomorrow.